MILAN DESIGN WEEK | Cristina Celestino

We have finally landed on the key date, the one that all design enthusiasts were wainting for unpatiently. This week is taking place the reference international design event, were the most outstanding professionals of the sector exhibit their last projects: The Salon del Mobile in Milan.

Between the thousands of exhibitors, the exquisite work of Cristina Celestino specially stands out. The italian designer and architect has the formula to success: her method is based on a meticulous observation and research, investigating the potential of shapes, their functions and their attempt to go further in the traditional relationships between fashion, art and design. The fusion between the contemporary and the ancient, the geometry and its unique materials is characteristic in her work. Founder of the interior design brand ‘Attico’, her delicate products have been selected to be displayed in several galleries and international showrooms. Founded in 2010, the brand constitutes the designer’s experimental space, producing in small series and counting on a professional team of Italian artisans.

Tram Corallo

In addition, Cristina Celestino also divides her time between the design of special limited editions for galleries and museums, as well as for working in collaborations and the design of capsule collections for exclusive brands such as Fendi. Awarded with a diversity of prizes, precisely the one she got at the Salon del Mobile of Milán in 2016 stands out as being very special.

The Salon del Mobile is an event that can not go unnoticed, it seems impossible to establish specific expectations of what you are going to find. Cristina Celestino has made her election for this new edition, reinterpreting the historic tram of the city, in collaboration with the textile brand Rubelli, and establishing an ideal of the ‘Corallo Cinema’, which would circulate in the Brera district. Its suggestive design is established on railway tracks, an unexpected and evocative element. Visitors to the fair can contemplate a mobile design lounge, recreated in a tram from 1928, reinvented from a more contemporary vision.

Interior of Tram Corallo

Concerning the interior of the tram, the visitors will be able to visualize the aesthetics of the traditional Milanese cars, also thanks to Rubelli’s captivating fabric collections. In addition, each object’s design is made from tailor-made materials, which is unusual for a means of transport. It will be divided in two zones, recreating theater and film environments. The initial hall will recreate a waiting room, reigned by majestic armchairs and windows decorated with abundant Rubelli curtains, as well as a soft carpet. Behind a thin and delicate curtain, the visitors will find the second room, an intimate room where visitors can be accommodated in ottomans and experience a distinct cinematographic perspective of the city of Milan.

Inpired by a travelling essence, the aim of both artists in this project is for visitors to go back to the past through the ancient aesthetic recreated on the tram. With the city of Milan and its urban landscapes as the main theme, Cristina Celestino takes the spectator to another dimension, where you get lost between time and space.

Recently graduated as a journalist, I'm currently discovering a whole new world in graphic design. You will always find me taking pictures, booking a trip to a rural house or watching french cinema. A good piece of writing is what inspires me the most.